MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan - Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron spent the night under the stars when they participated in an overnight field exercise and field meet at Penny Lake Field at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, April 18-19, 2013.
The goal of the exercise was for servicemembers to experience the discomfort that comes with being in an austere environment and to reinforce the motto of ‘every Marine is a rifleman.’
“My command philosophy is we do two things at H&HS – train and prepare Marines and sailors for combat as we do our day jobs and we train and prepare ourselves for combat,” said Lt. Col. F. Lance Lewis, H&HS commanding officer. “For the Marine Corps, it doesn’t matter your rate, MOS, what your rank happens to be. If you’re over there with an infantry battalion…it does not matter. (Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2) got attacked a couple of years ago and they are power-liners and flight guys and they grabbed their weapons and manned the wire to repel the attack.”
The event kicked off at 6 p.m. with all the major sections of H&HS attending the event – Operations, Logistics, the Provost Marshal’s Office and Headquarters.
The field meet consisted of several events, including the dizzy izzy, Humvee pull, pugil stick bouts and tug of war. At 9 p.m., all lights at the field were secured, with Marines sleeping with whatever provisions they brought in their packs.
The next morning, reveille woke servicemembers at 3 a.m., dressing and gathering all their gear in the darkness. They proceeded to step off at 4 a.m. for a 10 kilometer, or approximately six mile, hike and concluded with a warrior’s breakfast at the R.G. Robinson Mess Hall.